It was in April when Alfred Molina simply confirmed his involvement with Spider-Man: No Way Home. There were countless rumors and theories regarding the return and the actor seemed quite happy to share the information. It was a surprising turn of events, as Marvel studios might be one of the most secretive companies in the industry with strict NDAs. Yet, his open confirmation may have also led to his inclusion in the first trailer, as he signals the beginning of the multiverse.
In the latest issue by Empire, we’ll finally get some coverage on No Way Home, as we inch closer to his December release. In it, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige briefly teased the upcoming film and how Alfred Molina was “perfect casting” that they never could replicate. As such, entering the multiverse was the perfect way to avoid that issue and bring the actor back in to tackle the role one last time. As he put it:
I remember having discussions with Amy Pascal years ago. Do we want to revisit villains we’ve seen before?’ No, let’s do Vulture, and Mysterio, and characters we haven’t brought to the screen before. But I remember thinking, ‘How would you even do Doc Ock again?’, because Alfred Molina is perfect casting. If you ever brought him back, it would have to be him somehow.
Of course, Molina’s take on the character has become an important icon in cinematic villainy. Still, we’ve seen countless versions of the character since that added their own spin. A personal favorite is Scott David Menville‘s interpretation in 2018’s Spider-Man game. There’s also Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s reinterpretation of the character Olivia Octavius, who was brought to life by the always incredible Kathryn Hahn. So, there are opportunities to expand the character from a live-action perspective, but Molina‘s return feels like a perfect final send-off for the character and the franchises that came before.
Source: Empire
